Second round
Alexandrova (2.1) v Ferro (1.88)
Due to start at 3 pm
This will be their first meeting.
Overall results slightly favour Alexandrova in the last 12 months. Ferro’s 2020 results are a little better. Ferro is stronger on clay.
Ferro reached the quarter finals in Palermo last year. She won the title in Lausanne and a couple of ITF clay titles. She easily beat Nadia Podoroska in the last round. She played 9 exhibition matches during Covid. She won all over them. All of them were on hard courts. She had 2 wins over Kristina Mladenovic and a straight sets win over Alize Cornet.
Alexandrova has only played clay exhibition matches during the lockdown. Her only wins from her 6 matches were against 491st ranked Monika Kilnarova and Marketa Vondrousova. This week Alexandrova beat Mladenovic in 3 sets as slight underdog. She was broken 5 times in the opening set! A third round finish at the French Open in May 2019 was her only decent clay results on the main tour.
We have a chance of 3 sets but I have to favour Ferro to win. Back her around 2.20. Back her if she loses set 1.
Update: Alexandrova made the better start and took an early break lead. Ferro fought back. The set was very tight and a late break gave it to Ferro.
Alexandrova had a medical timeout on a back problem at the start of set 2.
Ferro won 7-5, 6-2.
